The Milk Makers
"The Milk Makers" is Episode 7 in Season 4. It originally aired on July 1, 1986. Synopsis The episode begins with LeVar visiting a dairy farm where there are lots of cows. He is feeding a calf milk from a bottle. As soon as it is empty, he asks the calf to see if another cow can feed her more milk. He tells the viewers that milk comes from cows, as everybody knows. There are other animals that make it too, like elephants, whales, and even humans. Animals that do so to feed their young are called mammals. Of course, cows are mammals too because of their ability of doing so. In fact, they make more of the milk we drink than any other mammal. LeVar says that the title book is "udderly fascinating". LeVar has never milked a cow before, but he thinks it would be fun to try by hand. After he cleans off the teats, he tries squeezing them just like the title book showed him. He seems to be having trouble. Louie Calcagno, a farmer friend of his, helps him out. Louie shows him the proper way to squeeze the teats. You use your thumb and forefinger and start at the top of the teat close to the udder and work your way down. One teat in each hand is critical. Also, it's always important to aim for the bucket. If a farmer had four or five hundred cows to milk at that rate, he'd never get the job done. Louie's friend, Randy Ricca, has dairy facilities which finishes the milking job much quicker. He shows LeVar how to do so by machine. The first thing is to clean the udder and teats. The machine is placed directly under the cow, and the suction cups are placed on the teats one at a time. The milk travels through the pipeline and into a cooling tank. And it ends up in jugs, bottles, and cartons. Reading the side of a milk carton can show you what kinds of nutrients milk has and what it is made of. There is protein, calcium, thiamine, vitamins, and minerals. When we drink it, our bodies know how to use it. Calcium builds strong teeth and bones, and protein helps build our muscles. Milk acts kind of like a basketball team. An animation is shown to illustrate it all. A team called the Milk Trotters plays a basketball game. Sports announcer Marv Albert concentrates on it. Every time a player scores, they give the body on the scoreboard a specific nutrient to help it grow. After LeVar finishes drinking his milk, he tells the viewers that some people can't digest it. Their bodies can't break it down into its many nutrients. It's good to find what foods we eat have the ones that milk contains. For example, tuna fish gives the body its protein and whole-wheat bread gives you calcium. Vegetables, like carrots, have vitamins we need to grow. A lot of us can drink milk and enjoy many products made from it, like cheese. LeVar shows the viewers how it is made. It starts out as milk straight from the cow's udder, which is poured into a large tank and stirred. An ingredient is added to give it its flavor. Another one added makes it into a special jello. Cheese makers cut it into little pieces called curds, and then they are cooked. The liquid separated from them is called whey. The cooked curds look like scrambled eggs or popcorn. They are what the cheese is made from. Salt is added to them to maintain the flavor. Cheese cloth is used to make them into balls, and the remaining whey gets squeezed out. Then the balls are put into a cheese press to be flattened into wheels overnight. The next day, they get unwrapped and the date is stamped on each of them to let the cheese makers know how old it should be before it's eaten. A final process is done before sending it out to the stores. Then it's ready to eat. And now Chef LeVar is about to prepare some lunch for the cows. He makes a special chef salad that he calls a la Holstein. He puts in some alfalfa hay, apple pulp, cotton seed, artichokes, and cauliflower. He says that it is only enough for one cow. How can you feed 600 cows? A big truck pulls into the farm and pours out all the food for the whole herd to graze on. While they munch away, they are turning all the food into gallons and gallons of milk. Maybe the next glass you drink will come from one of the ones you saw on this episode. LeVar is seen making ice cream with an old-fashioned machine. He tells the viewers that there's something great about doing so that way. You can make it any flavor you want. It is not the only thing that comes in many flavors. Books do too. LeVar reminds us that cows make milk to feed their babies. They can't produce it until they have their first calf. Everyday on dairy farms, one is born. They also need to be taken care of. Louie's wife, Carol, takes care of the calves on the farm to make sure they're healthy. Newborn ones learn how to drink shortly after they're born. Several signs that show one is not well are a dry nose, droopy ears, and sunken eyes. Every one has their own personality. They will become future milk makers when they've been given great care. LeVar reinstates that most of the milk we drink comes from the miracle of birth. It's one of nature's cycles of life that keeps on going. The miracle of the milk makers is one of the beautiful and remarkable ones. Review Books *Whales and Other Sea Mammals *Baby Animals on the Farm *From Blossom to Honey Category:Season 4 Category:Episodes